November 3, 2025
UW Livable City Year program and Pierce County launch new partnership
Starting this September, the University of Washington’s Livable City Year (LCY) program has partnered with the Pierce County Department of Planning and Public Works to advance the County’s goals in housing, public infrastructure, environmental resilience, and economic development. Through this collaboration, UW faculty and students from multiple disciplines will work on community-oriented projects identified by Pierce County.
The Livable City Year program works with local governments over one or more academic years, matching community-identified projects with courses and students across all three UW campuses. Partner communities benefit from faculty and student academic expertise, innovative ideas, and enthusiasm, while students gain the opportunity to solve real-world problems and make meaningful, lasting impacts. This year, LCY is also continuing partnerships with the Pacific County Economic Development Council and the City of Granite Falls. Pierce County is the 14th community to work with the nine-year-old UW program.
“We’re excited to be working with one of our home counties,” said Branden Born, LCY’s Faculty Director and Chair of UW’s Department of Urban Design and Planning. “Part of the mission of the UW is to serve students; another is to serve the state. This partnership allows us to do both. It’s always nice to have the local campus involved in LCY projects, and UW-T has terrific faculty and students who have long been active in community-engaged experiential learning.”
The Livable City Year partnership aligns with Pierce County’s comprehensive planning process and supports its goal of designating Town Centers in five urbanized areas of unincorporated Pierce County that are expected to accommodate future growth. LCY projects will help the County to plan for evolving community needs of current and future residents and identify strategies that support housing, business development, and public spaces. Project work began in September, with undergraduate students in the Community, Environment, and Planning program who are conducting research on the housing, street design, warehouse strategies, and community visioning. Future projects will build upon this foundation and explore topics that enhance the quality of life for residents.
LCY projects will help the Department of Planning and Public Works staff develop strategies that strengthen Pierce County’s planning capacity and foster more resilient, livable communities, ensuring planning decisions reflect community needs. “Working with Livable City Year is a great opportunity for us,” said Pierce County Long Range Planning Manager Alon Bassok. “The students will extend our reach into needed areas and represent an amazing resource for our communities.”
The UW’s Livable City Year program is led by faculty director Branden Born, in the Department of Urban Design and Planning. It had founding support from UW Sustainability and Urban@UW, as well as the UW College of Built Environments, UW Undergraduate Academic Affairs, and the Association of Washington Cities. LCY is a member of the Educational Partners for Innovation in Communities Network (EPIC-N), a global nonprofit association of member programs that connect universities with communities to tackle local challenges.
